DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ What is catfishing and what can you do if you are catfished?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Sen Nguyen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

In the US, romance scams resulting from catfishing have among the highest reported financial losses of internet crimes as a whole. A 2019 study found that young LGBTQ+ men in rural America experiencing catfishing on dating apps felt angry and fearful. She also emphasized the need to recognize today’s loneliness epidemic, which “leads people to perhaps be more susceptible to catfishing scams,” she said. Catfishing is not explicitly a crime, but the actions that often accompany catfishing, such as extortion for money, gifts or sexual images are crimes in many places. In the US, romance scams resulting from catfishing have among the highest reported financial losses of internet crimes as a whole.

Persons: CNN —, Nev Schulman, “ Megan ”, Schulman, Evita, scammers, Catfishing, Snapchat, ”, Ngo Minh Hieu, Chong, Hieu, Wang, “, It’s, Fangzhou Wang, ” Wang, Maryna, WeChat Organizations: CNN, Cybersmile Foundation, Federation University, Fraud Intelligence, INTERPOL, Research, US Federal Trade Commission, SMS, University of Texas, Arlington, Getty, Facebook, UNICEF Locations: Alaska, Australia, Singapore, Southeast Asia, France, Germany, India, cryptocurrency, Vietnamese, America, catfishing, China, Cybersecurity, Australian

☆ A retiree explains his path to achieve happiness and counter loneliness. It can work at any age and doesn't cost a penny.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. "I didn't have to say anything, but I did," Lamy told Business Insider. As Business Insider previously reported, loneliness can have significant impacts on people's mental and physical well-being. Over time, loneliness can damage a person's sleep schedule, immune system, heart health, and memory if the issue isn't reversed.

Persons: —, Joe Lamy, Lamy, Johns, he's, Vivek Murthy, It's Organizations: Service, Walgreens, Business, Johns Hopkins, New York Times, Social Security, University of Michigan, Healthy Aging, AARP, American Association of Retired Locations: Seattle

☆ Uber and Lyft drivers say they do it for more than the money: It makes them less lonely.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewJason McConahy, a part-time Lyft driver in Las Vegas, sometimes drives as few as 10 hours a month. Several Uber and Lyft drivers have told Business Insider they've faced everything from rude comments to harassment while working — women drivers can face their own challenges. Business Insider asked six Uber and Lyft drivers why they value the social interactions that can come with ride-hailing. Riders, oftentimes, enjoy having someone to talk to as well, drivers told BI. "It's like therapy," said a Boston Uber driver in his 50s who asked to remain anonymous for fear of professional repercussions.

Persons: —, Jason McConahy, McConahy, they've, Uber, Mark McCann, Larry, he's, Rich, Dean Ceran, they're Organizations: Service, Business, Atlanta Uber, Arizona Uber, Virginia Uber, Boston Uber Locations: Las Vegas, Dallas, Atlanta, Arizona, Virginia, Boston

☆ A Drug Test Cost a D.E.A. Agent His Job. He Sued, and Got It Back.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Ernesto Londoño | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Drug Enforcement Administration regarded Anthony L. Armour as an “outstanding” special agent on the front lines of the nation’s opioid epidemic. But in 2019, a routine drug test derailed his career. His failed drug test led the government to fire him, setting off a lengthy court battle that underscored the growing pains of a booming and largely unregulated CBD industry. Last week, Mr. Armour won his case. In a rare move, the Department of Justice agreed to rehire him as a special agent, provide some back pay, cover his legal expenses and restore his eligibility for a pension.

Persons: Anthony L, Armour Organizations: Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice

☆ UN Urges Measures to Stop Arms Trafficking Fueling Haiti's Gang Wars
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Sarah Morland(Reuters) - The head of the United Nation's drugs and crime office on Thursday warned of a "vicious cycle" of arms trafficking to increasingly powerful Haitian gangs, fueling an internal conflict and worsening violence across the Caribbean. "It's more important than ever to take every measure possible to prevent illicit flows," the UNODC's executive director, Ghada Waly, told a U.N. Security Council meeting, saying arms trafficking and gang activity were feeding off each other. A recent UNODC report found that most illegal firearms seized in Haiti came from the United States, notably Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and California. After the Dominican Republic shut its border with Haiti, smugglers were turning to more remote routes including clandestine airstrips, the report said. No date has been set for deployment, which Haiti requested in October 2022.

Persons: Sarah Morland, Ghada Waly, U.N, Robert Wood, Kenya's, Tirana Hassan, Hassan, Jose de la, Michelle Nichols, Leslie Adler Organizations: Reuters, Security, Taurus, Glock, Beretta, Smith, Wesson, Kenyan, Rights Watch, Tirana Locations: Haiti, United States, Florida , Arizona, Georgia, Texas, California, Caribbean, U.S, Dominican Republic, Ecuador

☆ Did syphilis originate in the Americas? Ancient DNA offers some insight
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In France, it was named the “Neapolitan disease” after the French army got infected during its invasion of Naples, Italy, in the first documented syphilis epidemic. A complex disease caused by a complex bacteriumWithout treatment, syphilis can cause physical disfigurement, blindness and mental impairment. Others believe T. pallidum bacteria always had a global distribution but perhaps grew in virulence after initially manifesting as a mild disease. Some bones had marks characteristic of infection with T. pallidum — the bacteria effectively eat away at bones, leaving concave lesions. “The modern tools available for extracting DNA from ancient samples, for enriching the treponemal DNA, and obtaining deep sequencing from samples has rapidly increased our understanding of the Treponema.”

Persons: Christopher Columbus, Treponema pallidum, ”, Brenda J, Baker, Jose Filippini It’s, Molly Zuckerman, wasn’t, ” Zuckerman, “, it’s, Columbus, Europe ’, Sheila A, pallidum, Verena Schünemann, Schünemann, Mathew Beale, Beale, ” Lukehart Organizations: CNN, Research, Arizona State University, Bioarchaeology Laboratories, Mississippi State University, University of Washington, University of Zurich’s Institute of Evolutionary, Wellcome Sanger, Columbus Locations: France, Naples, Italy, Europe, Americas, Brazil, New, Laguna, Santa Catarina, Africa, Columbus, Finland, Estonia, Netherlands, Asia, Cambridge, England

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington state attorney general announced a $149.5 million settlement Wednesday with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, more than four years after the state sued the company over its role fueling the opioid addiction crisis. If approved, the deal would send over $20 million more to respond to the opioid crisis than if the state had signed onto a national settlement in 2021 involving Johnson & Johnson, the attorney general’s office said. Washington state’s Democratic attorney general sued Johnson & Johnson in 2020, alleging that it helped drive the pharmaceutical industry’s expansion of prescription opioids. “The Company’s actions relating to the marketing and promotion of important prescription opioid medications were appropriate and responsible,” according to the statement. The attorney general’s office noted that the company was one of the largest suppliers of the raw narcotic materials needed to produce opioid drugs.

Persons: drugmaker Johnson, Johnson, Bob Ferguson, Democratic Sen, June Robinson, Geoff Mulvihill Organizations: Washington State Department of Health, Johnson, Democratic Locations: The Washington, U.S, Washington, Cherry Hill , New Jersey

Page Walley on Tuesday stopped short of fully removing the law and instead introduced legislation that would remove those convicted of aggravated prostitution of having to register as a violent sex offender. “But removes the sex offender registration.”Prostitution has long been criminalized as a misdemeanor in Tennessee. Nearly 20 years later, the state legislature revised the law once more by requiring lifetime sex offender registration for those convicted under the controversial statute. Instead, the GOP-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday agreed to advance a proposal that would drop the lifetime sex offender registration requirement. The plaintiffs challenging the law in federal court, all named Jane Doe, have described years of harassment and hardships in finding housing and employment that complies with Tennessee's violent sex offender registry.

Persons: ”, Republican Sen, Page, ” Walley, Walley, Jane Doe, Bill Lee's, It's Organizations: The U.S . Department of Justice, Republican, for Disease Control, GOP, Gov Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, The, Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Shelby County, Memphis

☆ Trench rats: Rodents swarm Ukraine frontlines in grisly echo of World War I
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Christian Edwards | Olga Voitovych | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Mice and rats are seen scurrying around under beds, in backpacks, power generators, coat pockets and pillowcases. A mousetrap in a garbage can tries to stem the swarm of rodents in a trenches near Bakhmut, Ukraine, in October 2023. The report was reminiscent of those from World War I, where the putrid pileup of waste and corpses allowed “trench rats” to breed rapidly. As well as causing anxiety and disease among soldiers, mice also ravage military and electrical equipment. In World War I, soldiers could not solve the trench rat problem.

Persons: “ Kira, ”, ” Kira, Kira, Libkos, Robert Graves, “, General Valery Zaluzhny, Hulton, ” Zahorodniuk, Ukraine weathers, Zahorodniuk Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Hulton Deutsch, Ukraine’s National Museum of Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Bakhmut, Kupiansk, Kharkiv, Moscow, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk region

☆ US House Committee says China delayed releasing COVID-19 information for weeks and lied about sharing it immediately
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China had a gene sequence of COVID-19 weeks before sharing it with the world, US lawmakers said. AdvertisementChina likely obtained COVID-19's first known gene sequence weeks before publicly releasing it, contrary to Beijing's claim that it immediately shared the information, the US House Energy & Commerce Committee said on Wednesday. Related storiesThe committee said this contradicted China's repeated claims that it released the gene sequence as soon as it obtained the information. The House committee said this example shows that China has been forthcoming with sharing vital medical information for fighting COVID-19. AdvertisementThe committee also raised concerns that the NIH had received a COVID-19 gene sequence but "apparently had no idea."

Persons: —, Lili Ren, Ren, China's, Biden, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Morgan Griffith, Brett Guthrie Organizations: Service, US, Energy, Commerce, National Institutes of Health, EcoHealth Alliance, of Health, Human Services, World Health Organization, CCP, NIH, HHS, Energy & Commerce Committee, Oversight, Rep Locations: China, Washington, Virginia, Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, Washington , DC

was exemplary, slashing the country’s death rate by nearly 90 percent from 1990 to 2019. Now a sweeping law enacted last year, the Anti-Homosexuality Act, threatens to renew the epidemic as L.G.B.T.Q. It also requires all citizens to report anyone suspected of such activity, a mandate that makes no exceptions for health care providers tending to patients. Under the law, merely having same-sex relationships while living with H.I.V. Scores of Ugandans have been evicted from homes and fired from jobs, according to interviews with lawyers and activists.

Organizations: H.I.V

☆ Elon Musk is about to find out if ultimatums really work
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at the ultimatum Elon Musk gave Tesla's board amid a critical time for the company. The big storyElon's ultimatumREUTERS/Steve NesiusUltimatums rarely work in relationships, but what about between CEOs and the massive companies they run? Elon Musk is about to find out. Musk, who has roughly a 13% stake in the EV maker, said if his request isn't met, he'll "prefer to build products outside of Tesla." Meanwhile, Ross Gerber, a longtime Tesla bull, said it's "absurd" to think Musk doesn't already have control over Tesla and described his request as "blackmailing the Tesla shareholders."

Persons: —, Antony Blinken, Elon Musk, Steve Nesius Ultimatums, Elon, isn't, didn't, Wedbush's Dan Ives, Musk's, Ross Gerber, Tesla, Dow Jones, George Glover, That's, cowering, Caspar Benson, Jamie Dimon, dory, Trump, Ray Dalio, Biden, Evan Spiegel's, Hokyoung Kim, They've, Kristen Stewart, Christopher Nolan, Maite Alberdi, Celine Song, Eugene Lee Yang, Dave Bautista, Kevin Costner, Estelle, AA Milne, Jay Chou, Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins Organizations: Service, Boeing, Business, Tesla, EV, Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Getty, Intellia Therapeutics, Shoals Technologies, JPMorgan, Biden, Bridgewater Associates, Trump, Alliance, Helicopter, BI, Sundance, Northern Trust Locations: Switzerland, Tesla, Northern

☆ Men are turning to OnlyFans for emotional connection amid a loneliness epidemic
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Marta Biino | Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

"They can go to Pornhub and get naked people and sexual videos," Rae Richmond, another content creator, said. And when he chats with Farrah, an OnlyFans creator, things rarely get sexual. Some think the OnlyFans relationships help, while others think they can make people lonelier. LiensueGenuine connection can be an unintended consequence for creators, tooDespite the transactional nature of OnlyFans relationships, a real sense of companionship can develop on both ends. Sweetheart said she hadn't been on any dates since she began creating OnlyFans content over three years ago.

Persons: Cherie DeVille, Simon, DeVille, he'd, I'd, who's, they'd, Rae Richmond, Walter's, Farrah, Walter, OnlyFans, Robert Weiss, Albert L, Ortega, Amber, Aston Martin, Keily Blair, sexting, she'd, Amber Sweetheart OnlyFans, Jade Nicole, Jade, she's, Jade Nicole Jade Nicole Mark, Liensue, Sue, Elaina St James, Tom, St James, haven't, Weiss, Ronald Levant —, Katherine Frank, Levant, Marie Lippmann, you've, I've, hadn't, She's, Candice Organizations: Google, Business, NFL, Gallup, Pew, Getty, University of Akron, Strip Club, California State University, Chico Locations: Italy, OnlyFans, New York

(AP) — The South Dakota House passed a bill Wednesday that would make xylazine, an animal sedative that is being mixed with fentanyl and then used by some people, a controlled substance. The measure, which passed unanimously in the Republican-held House and now goes to the Senate, would establish penalties of up to two years in prison and fines of up to $4,000 for possession and use of xylazine. Xylazine in humans can cause health problems including difficulty breathing, dangerously low blood pressure, a slowed heart rate, wounds that can become infected and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year the Office of National Drug Control Policy designated the combination of fentanyl and xylazine as an “ emerging threat.”The South Dakota Health Department and Republican state Attorney General Marty Jackley brought the bill in South Dakota. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesPolice are encountering xylazine in the state, mainly in Sioux Falls, he said.

Persons: PIERRE, S.D, Marty Jackley, Jackley, they've, ” Jackley Organizations: South Dakota House, Republican, Centers for Disease Control, of National Drug Control, South Dakota Health Department Locations: South Dakota, Sioux Falls

☆ As the US faces a loneliness epidemic, people who experienced social life abroad say they can see why
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US is facing a loneliness epidemic, and people have thoughts. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Last May, US surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy referred to the problem as an "epidemic of loneliness and isolation." AdvertisementPosts about social life in the US's neighboring country of Mexico are particularly common.

Persons: —, Vivek Murthy, Anna, she's, Lucia Organizations: Service, University of Washington Locations: America, Mexico, Colombia, St, Caribbean

☆ A Gen Xer explains how driving for Uber and Lyft has helped him socialize and earn extra income after an injury forced him out of the workforce
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThere are some months when Jason McConahy, a part-time Lyft driver in Las Vegas, drives as few as 10 hours. That's because the 48-year-old gets more out of ride-hailing than some supplemental income and flexible working hours ; it's provided him with a valuable source of social interaction . This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Several Uber and Lyft drivers have told Business Insider they've faced everything from rude comments to harassment while working. While he loves the social interaction and flexibility of ride-hailing, he said he doesn't think it's sustainable as a full-time job.

Persons: —, Jason McConahy, it's, they've, McConahy, Uber, Lyft, I've, It's Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Las Vegas, Spokane , Washington, —

☆ Mary Ellen Mark: Vintage photos offer rare glimpse of Mumbai’s red-light district
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-05 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —Mary Ellen Mark couldn’t forget Falkland Road. Despite being harassed and intimidated, legendary photographer Mary Ellen Mark spent 10 years trying to take photos on Falkland Road. Mary Ellen Mark A young woman and her customer photographed by Mary Ellen Mark. Mary Ellen Mark Falkland Road's infamous cages, where sex workers were displayed to passersby and potential customers. Mary Ellen Mark A young woman and a child seen reflected in a mirror.

Persons: Mary Ellen Mark, Mary Ellen Mark couldn’t, ”, Falkland, ” Meredith Lue, Lue, didn’t, Mark, “ Saroja, ’, Mary Ellen Mark Friends, “, ” Lue, she’s, Asha, Mumtaz, Usha, Mary Ellen Mark Late, Mary Ellen Mark Falkland, wouldn’t, Champa, Martin Bell, ” Mark, Mary Ellen Mark Hidden, ” Bell, Mark’s, ’ ” Lue, Ward, They’re, they’ve, It’s, ” Mary Ellen Mark Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Mary Ellen Mark Foundation, GEO, Olympia, Mental Institution, Ward, Times, “ Locations: Mumbai, Bombay ”, Bombay, —, Falkland, “, Mumbai's, South India, America, Berlin, Germany, India, Seattle, Oregon

☆ Purdue mess pits drug victims against due process
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

That’s the dilemma currently facing the parties involved in the case regarding Purdue Pharma, including states, individuals, and the company’s founding Sackler family. According to the lawsuit, the family withdrew $11 billion from Purdue, but only contributed $6 billion to the settlement. Side with the DOJ, and the Supreme Court could clean up the bankruptcy process that often shields individuals and companies. For now, though, either the victims of the opioid epidemic will have to wait, or those wanting to end bankruptcy shields will. Follow @rob_cyran on XCONTEXT NEWSThe Supreme Court heard arguments on Dec. 4 over whether to approve the Purdue Pharmaceuticals bankruptcy agreement.

Persons: Sackler, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Kagan, Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, They’ve, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Supreme, Purdue Pharma, U.S . Department of Justice, Purdue, Liberal, DOJ, Purdue Pharmaceuticals, Thomson

☆ AI defined 2023. Bullets and ballots will shape 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Simon Robinson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In that spirit, I asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard – two of the most popular generative AI tools – to do the job for me. It missed the war between Hamas and Israel. In 2024, expect more progress and more news on regulators scrambling to keep up. Next year will also be defined by bullets and ballots. Like many newsrooms, Reuters is experimenting with how AI can help us package, produce and deliver our journalism.

Persons: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Bard –, ChatGPT, “, ”, Bard, –, Donald Trump, Narendra Modi, machismo, Claudia Sheinbaum, Vladimir Putin, Joseph Stalin’s, What’s, Taylor, Edward Tobin Organizations: United Nations, Gaza Health Ministry, Brussels –, Ukraine –, Washington, U.S, Mexico City, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Ukrainian, Ukraine’s, Washington, Brussels, Moscow, Kyiv, Beijing, Taiwan, U.S, India, Mexico, United States

But that came after they had sold petroleum in eight of the previous nine weeks, reducing their position by a total of 342 million barrels. In the premier NYMEX WTI contract, funds had amassed bearish short positions amounting to 116 million barrels by Nov. 28, up from 20 million barrels eight weeks earlier. Funds purchased the equivalent of 10 million barrels split between U.S. gasoline (+2 million), U.S. diesel (+4 million) and European gas oil (+4 million). Funds held a net long position in gasoline of 66 million barrels (72nd percentile) up from 26 million barrels (19th percentile) six weeks earlier. Related columns:- Record U.S. oil output challenges Saudi mastery (December 4, 2023)- Investors bet against OPEC+ raising oil prices (November 28, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

Persons: de Wouw, John Kemp, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Port, REUTERS, ICE, Fund, U.S, . Funds, U.S ., Funds, Saudi, OPEC, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Rotterdam, Netherlands, Brent, Saudi Arabia, United States, U.S

☆ Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Controversial Purdue Pharma Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | More About Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Purdue Pharma and the wealthy family that controlled it are forever linked to the deadly opioid epidemic, which has left hundreds of thousands of people dead. But their role in the public health crisis is not the central question that the Supreme Court will wrestle with on Monday when it hears arguments over a bankruptcy settlement involving Purdue, the maker of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. Instead, the justices will focus on a narrower issue: whether the plan, devised to address the thousands of claims brought by state and local governments, tribes, hospitals and individual victims, can give wide-ranging legal protections to members of the Sackler family, the owners of the company. Under the deal, the Sacklers would pay up to $6 billion of their fortune toward settling those claims in exchange for immunity from all civil legal disputes related to the opioid crisis and Purdue.

Persons: Sackler Organizations: Purdue Pharma, Purdue

☆ Supply chains, trade top agenda for Yellen Mexico trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hosts Leaders from Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (APEP) countries at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC, on November 3, 2023. WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to Mexico City this week to strengthen economic ties with America's top trading partner, the Treasury Department said Monday. Yellen will meet with Mexican counterparts, including President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, from Dec. 5-7 on creating supply chains spanning the bordering nations to spur job growth and bolster economic security, according to a release. Imports and exports between the U.S. and Mexico reached nearly $600 billion so far in 2023, per the International Trade Administration, and exceeded $850 billion in 2022, according to Treasury. Direct investments between the nations include manufacturing, wholesale trade, real estate and finance and insurance, according to the U.S. Trade Representative.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yellen, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping Organizations: Americas Partnership, Economic Prosperity, Treasury Department, WASHINGTON —, Mexican, U.S, International Trade Administration, Treasury, U.S . Trade, Jalisco Nueva Generacion, U.S . Locations: Washington ,, Mexico City, Mexico, United States, Jalisco, U.S

☆ Supreme Court questions opioid liability protections for Sackler family
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — Members of the Supreme Court seemed conflicted on Monday over whether to allow the bankruptcy reorganization of opioid maker Purdue Pharma, which includes a provision that protects the Sackler family from liability from future lawsuits. During the oral argument, justices expressed skepticism that a bankruptcy court had legal authority to release the Sacklers from potential legal claims. No Sackler family member has had any involvement in the company since 2019. The company sought bankruptcy protection, but the Sackler family members did not. She added that it would be "an extraordinary thing" if the court allowed the family to "basically subvert" the bankruptcy process.

Persons: Sackler, Pharm, Biden, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan's, Kagan, Pratik Shah, Elizabeth Prelogar Organizations: WASHINGTON, Purdue Pharma, New York's Southern, Federal Court, Purdue Locations: New York's, White Plains

☆ US Supreme Court to scrutinize controversial opioid crisis settlement that would give Sackler family immunity
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Barring individual victims from pursuing their own lawsuits against the Sackler family “raises serious constitutional questions,” the department argued. OxyContin’s commercial success helped the Sackler family earn billions of dollars and the family became known for philanthropy around the world. As the country’s opioid crisis worsened, attention shifted to the role played by Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family. Many of the suits allege that the Sackler family knew of OxyContin’s addictive properties but, nevertheless, continued to promote the drug. The Supreme Court hearing comes at a time of devastating losses due to drug overdoses in the US.

Persons: Los Angeles CNN —, Sackler, Mortimer, Raymond Sackler, “, George Frey, Elizabeth Prelogar, ” Anthony Casey, , –, Purdue Frederick, ” Lindsey Simon, ” Organizations: Los Angeles CNN, Purdue, New, US, US Justice Department, Purdue Pharma, Supreme, Knoa Pharma, Purdue Pharma L.P, Bloomberg, Sackler, ”, University of Chicago, school’s, Law, Finance, Guggenheim, Centers for Disease Control, “, Emory University Locations: New York, Purdue, Provo , Utah, U.S, United States, Paris

☆ Biden administration announces new financial strike force to curb deadly fentanyl trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Sam Fossum | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“The Treasury Department’s Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force will allow us to bring the Department’s unrivaled expertise in fighting financial crime to bear against this deadly epidemic. The strike force will be led by the department’s top sanctions official, Brian Nelson, and the chief of the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigations unit, James Lee. It will “redouble Treasury’s existing work streams, including using financial intelligence to understand risks and map transnational criminal organization (TCO) financial networks,” according to a news release. Several key units within the Treasury Department that specialize in financial crimes, sanctions, and tracking terrorist and illicit financing will be part of the new strike force. The new strike force will also help streamline the Treasury Department’s efforts to coordinate with local and federal law enforcement bodies on potential financial leads.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Brian Nelson, James Lee, ” Nelson, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Biden, Yellen, Nelson, “ Organizations: Washington CNN, Monday, Treasury Department, Treasury, Network, Foreign Assets Control, of Intelligence, US Treasury Department, Strike Force, Department, Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, US Centers for Disease Control, CNN, Mexican, Biden Locations: United States, China, Ukraine, Mexico

Search resuls for: "Epidemic"

25 mentions found